November 8, 2012 11:23 am

In comments that belied just how hard hitting (if not nasty) their campaign commercials got, Republican Reagan Dunn put out a concession statement this morning in the Washington attorney general’s race. Bob Ferguson, the Seattle Democrat and fellow member of the King County Council, leads in votes this morning by 115,083 votes – or 52.8 percent to 47.2 percent.

Dunn’s full statement:

This morning I congratulated Washington’s next Attorney General, Bob Ferguson, on his victory in Tuesday’s election. It was a hard-fought campaign, and I am proud of the work we did. It was a true honor to have had the opportunity to meet so many Washingtonians and visit so many communities across our state.

I believe firmly that there is a time for campaigning and a time for governing. Our nation and our country have many pressing problems that demand we all reach for solutions, and I intend to lead in that effort here in King County. I believe Washington will be well-served by its next Attorney General.

I will miss Bob’s service on the King County Council and look forward to working with him as he heads to Olympia.

More importantly, Paige and I are so excited to be only a few short days away from welcoming the newest addition to the Dunn family. I want to thank all my friends, supporters, family, and colleagues for their well wishes.

Ferguson opposed the death penalty and had little experience in criminal cases. In ads, Dunn played on the experience issue, while also savaging Ferguson for his early defense work for a man accused of killing a police officer.

I had to wonder if the ads might not boomerang against Dunn who on social issues had taken a more moderate position. Their harsh tone implied that providing defense to someone accused of a heinous crime is somehow wrong.

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